Most diets focus on giving you physical benefits, such as helping you to slim down, build muscle, and look sexy. But the new MIND diet focuses instead on the health of—you guessed it—your mind.
This diet could potentially delay neurodegeneration and Alzheimer’s and keep your brain sharp and healthy. Learn more about it below, and then talk to your doctor to find out if this new diet might be the right choice for you.
Foods for Your Brain
Doctors have always advised eating right to take care of your overall health, and to especially care for your heart health. But now there is new research that is showing that the foods you eat can have an impact upon the long-term health of your brain as well.
A study was conducted at Rush University Medical Center in Chicago. Researchers concluded that a specific diet plan, which they worked on developing and named the MIND diet, has the potential to lower your risk of Alzheimer’s disease by 53%. And even if you just follow the diet moderately well, rather than strictly, you can reduce your risk by roughly 1/3 of what it would otherwise be.
A Combination of Two Great Diets
Essentially, the Mind diet is actually a combination of two already great diets: the Mediterranean diet and the DASH diet. The researchers honed in on the foods within each diet that specifically affect brain health in a positive way, and that’s how they came up with their recommendations.
What to Eat and What to Avoid
To follow the new MIND diet, you will need to start consuming more foods that are recommended by experts, as well as cutting out those foods that are not recommended.
The foods that you should eat more of include green leafy vegetables, a variety of other types of vegetables, a diverse array of nuts, different types of berries, the many types of beans available, whole grains, fish, poultry, olive oil, and one glass of wine per day.
Foods that you should avoid to reduce your risk of mental decline include red meat, butter, stick margarine, cheese, sweets, pastries, fast food, and fried foods.
If you want to start taking steps today to keep your brain healthy for tomorrow, definitely give the brand new MIND diet a try. It is sure to benefit your health in more ways than one and help you feel great while enjoying better focus and mental sharpness.
